


It's a Brand New World

by butterflybooks



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Harry Potter Next Generation, Multi, Next Generation
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-08-16
Updated: 2013-11-11
Packaged: 2017-12-23 17:02:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,109
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/928954
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/butterflybooks/pseuds/butterflybooks
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They should, for the record, never have been friends. They have parents, house and basic common sense working against them. But there you go.</p><p>Snapshots from the lives of four people - who shouldn't love each other. But do anyway.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So this is a bit of an experimental piece. I have a whole 'verse mapped out in my head for these characters and will dip in and out a bit. There will be relationships later on, but they're not tagged for yet.

Albus Potter grows up as the second son of an absurdly famous father. He’s surrounded by people all the time; his family is large enough to launch its own Quidditch league. He grows up knowing that the entirety of the wizarding world expects him to be special, but also that he will never live up to what has gone before.

But he also grows up surrounded by love and warmth, never doubting that he has a place in the world.

-

Scorpius Malfoy grows up the only child of an equally notorious father. He grows up far too quickly, a lonely child in a cold household. There’s a space where the family history should be, and he picks up just enough to know that it is not one he can be proud of. At the same time, however, he never feels part of it – the family or the history. It is lonely, but he never regrets this fact. It is really what saves him.

He is tutored in many things, most of which he ignores, including the long and dull lessons on genealogy. He grows up being told to keep silent views that he never truly believes. If his parents had spent more time with him, perhaps they would have seen how self-contained he was, how he never took in anything without wandering off to think about it first. Scorpius creates his own world in the confines of Malfoy Manor and for this, well. Really they can blame the House-Elf.

-

Rose Weasley grows up as daughter of two thirds of the Golden Trio; she discovers everything she can about her family. Even the parts they lie to her about. She loves her family, unquestionably and unconditionally. But she relies on her intelligence more than anything else. Her mother wouldn’t have it any other way.

She doesn’t actually particularly get along with Albus when they are younger. But they’re family, and that will matter more than anything.

-

Phoenix Harrison grows up with enough to make him different. He grows up in a really white neighbourhood, for one thing. His dad dies when he’s three and his mum works as a cleaner for the local school. He gets along OK at school but there’s always an aura of difference around him, something that tells others he’s Not Quite Like Them.

Anyway. The point is: he could really do without the levitating.

When the letter comes he thinks it’s a joke, then he’s pretty sure it’s not, then he gets a little pissed that no one ever bothered to tell him about it before, then he spends three days trying to convince his mum he’s not crazy and then a witch comes to his door.

He starts to get excited maybe three days before the first of September.

-

There are many shades of friendship, and many shades of love. All of the four love differently. They will love each other though. And that will matter more than anything.

-

Phoenix got here early; he didn’t stick around for long goodbyes either. Even though this is his first time away from his pretty insular family. He doesn’t think much of it until later. He still mainly can’t believe he’s here. The witch who had come to the door had convinced him that it wasn’t a hoax (watching your schoolbag turn into a dog will do that to a boy) but when he’d tried to read the books that he’d bought with his bemused mother, he mainly thought that they seemed to be in a foreign language. He’s never been great at school and the idea that he’s going to be starting in a whole new world with no experience of it does not comfort him at all.

He is currently sitting in a train compartment; everything is a little 1900s boarding school so far, and he can’t help but think of what his mates from school would say if they saw him now, with robes in his suitcase, heavy books in his bag and a stick which people promised would do magic stowed away. He hasn’t spoken to his friends (muggles, he thinks – which he isn’t) properly since he found all this out. What do you say?

An older girl pushes into the compartment; he can tell she’s older not only because of her height but from the way she looks at him. She’s swiftly followed by a group of what he presumes are her friends.

“Out, Firstie,” are the first words one of his magical peers speaks to him.

“Yeah,” chimes in one of the boys. “New policy on socialisation between the first years. The prefects have been asked to supervise.”

The laughter that follows this tells Phoenix that this is a lie, but faced with a group of teenagers (who he is aware that in another life, he would laugh at for living on the richer side of town) all older and more threatening than him, what can he do but leave?

He pauses only long enough to grab his smaller bag; he’ll have to come back to get the rest of his stuff, but mainly he just wants to get out.

It’s almost a relief, he thinks as the door slides shut behind him. Looks like the wizarding world isn’t really so strange after all.

Given that he’s been chucked out and the corridors are now milling with new and old students, he finds himself the emptiest compartment he can. The guy sitting in there looks about his age, and he reasons that it can’t hurt to try and talk to someone relatively sane.

The boy is pale: hair, eyebrows, eyes and all. He’s also sitting with his head bent over a book, which both disconcerts and impresses Phoenix. The book looks almost as big as him, and he strikes an unusual figure – stretched out over one side of the compartment; he’s clearly not expecting anyone to join him.

Well, thinks Phoenix, as he pulls the door, you and me both mate.

He doesn’t know if the boy glances up as he walks in but when he looks back, he doesn’t appear to have moved. 

The train moves off and the boy looks up as though it’s annoyed him, his eyes resting on Phoenix for a moment. Phoenix takes that as his opening.

“What are you reading?”

The boy looks at him for a moment longer and then holds up the volume so he can see the cover. Curling across the front are the words:

Dragons: A comprehensive guide to the breeds of Great Britain

“Was that on the list?” Phoenix asks, in a sudden panic, because he hates when he does this.

The boy shakes his head. “Don’t worry about it,” he says in a soft voice.

Phoenix smiles, relieved to have a few non-hostile words spoken to him. “What’s your name?”

“Scorpius.”

Phoenix has had enough people balk at his own name that he barely reacts. Maybe every wizard has an odd name.

“I’m Phoenix.”

The boy – Scorpius – has a soft smile, muting his pointed features. “A magnificent creature,” he murmurs.

“Er. Yeah.” Well that was a novel reaction. 

Scorpius returns to his book. They spend the journey mainly in silence. And whilst Phoenix would not say that it’s comfortable, it’s not exactly uncomfortable either.

-

None of them form an instant friendship. With the exception of Phoenix and Albus, but that will come later.

-

None of them get the house they wanted either, but Rose and Scorpius, at least, are unsurprised.

-  
“Slytherin.”

“Hufflepuff.”

“Ravenclaw!”

“Gryffindor!”

-

Albus never really believed his dad anyway. Things go different when you’re not the chosen one.

-

Scorpius is absolutely unlike his family. The whispers surrounding a Malfoy being sorted into Hufflepuff will probably fuel the castle for a generation.

-

Ravenclaw is the logical choice. Her mum will be pleased. She kind of is too.

-

Phoenix really did not want to be in the house that seems like it gets the most attention. 

 

-

They all have a sleepless night.


	2. Letters Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Letters home in the first week.

To Aunt Luna,

So, I know it’s kind of weird that I’m writing to you. But I’m hoping that you’re still the kind of person who appreciates weird, because we used to go to your house in the summer sometimes and James would be teasing me and you’d take me off to find those weird animals that no one else believed in. We never saw any, but you were always good to talk to.

Thing is, I’m starting to think that I might be some weird creature that no one believes in. No one’s ever really seen a good Slytherin, have they? If I even am good.

Anyway, I could really use some belief right now.

Dad keeps saying that he doesn’t care, and maybe he doesn’t really, but he’s kind of hard to read sometimes. Mum’s disappointed, though. James hasn’t properly talked to me since I got sorted. 

Classes are hard. People are weird in Slytherin and don’t like me because of my family. Rose is always busy with other stuff – and has made friends pretty quickly.

I always wanted to stand out from my family is the thing, and now I do and I really wish I could be invisible again.

Hell, I probably won’t even send this now.

From Albus.

Dear Ada,

So I really hope that owls understand the difference between humans and house elves, ‘cause if my mother or father find this, then they’re going to murder me all over again after having murdered me for getting sorted into Hufflepuff.

Do you know what the hat said to me when I was sitting there: you’ve got no ambition at all. Are you sure you’re a Malfoy?

I’m not, I’m really not.

So I’m a disappointment, I think we both saw this coming. But I’ve been keeping my head down and doing pretty well at it. There’s also the thing I’ve got to keep me occupied that I’m not dumb enough to put in a letter. Something should happen with that soon though.

I hope they’re not treating you too badly. Keep out of the way and they’ll probably forget you exist.

Lessons are OK, not too difficult. Teachers always seem surprised at me, like I should be something extraordinary in any direction just because I’m a Malfoy.

I’m not, I’m really not.

Love, Scorpius

Dear Mum

I know Dad’s probably a little upset that I broke the Weasley tradition, but I am so happy to have ended up in Ravenclaw. I think Al’s avoiding me, though. But I guess his sorting was a real shock to everybody.

My first day was interesting. I got lost three times before breakfast, but I was with some other girls from my house so that was OK. We had our first Transfiguration lesson and we were turning pencils into spoons. I did pretty well. It looked like a spoon by the end, but unfortunately you could still write with it. All the classes are mixed houses now, did you know that? So it’s a bit random who you end up with. I made a friend from Gryffindor though. And you can meet in the inter-house common room, so it works out well. 

Then we had Herbology. We didn’t really do anything, just went over safety procedures. That boy that dad told me to beat in every test was in that class. He was really quiet. And he was sorted into Huffelpuff, which seems kind of weird given the whole Malfoy name. Anyway, I think I’ll be competitive enough with everyone without dad’s encouragement.

Then it was lunch and then charms. We were learning Wingardium Leviosa, but no one got very far with it.

And that was it! It really felt like the day flew by. Missing you, give my love to Hugo (I’m sure dad’ll read this over your shoulder)

Rose

 

Dear mum

~~I’m in Gryffindor, which is this house with a lion and it stands for bravery. This hat kind of read my mind~~

~~I’ve settled in well. Yesterday I had Transfiguration, which is where you learn to turn things into other things and potions which~~

~~I met a kid on the train who seemed all right but pretty much everyone else is odd and intimidating and the guy hasn’t spoken to me since~~

~~There is so much that I don’t know and~~

Dear mum,

Things are weird here, but good. I can’t explain half the things I’m seeing in a letter. It’s magic, real, honest-to-god magic that actually happens right in front of you and I’m doing it. Well. Kind of.

I miss you though. I don’t understand things here.

Lots of love, Phoenix.


End file.
